How do you quote your out of area travel costs?

[Jester1167]

I have worked in the industry for about 18 years and started my own business a little over a year ago. When I worked at other shops and quoted jobs we charged our labor rate + the federal mileage rate for job out of our city.

How do you charge for travel and any logic behind you decisions?

 

[petepaz]

i just add extra for tolls and gas to my normal labor charge. i don't do a mileage charge. our shop is in jersey and sometimes i have to go to NY for jobs and a mileage charge doesn't cover the $20-25 worth of tolls so far i haven't lost any jobs because of that.

 

[Gino]

Are you a one-man shop or do you have employees which can go out ??

 

[Jester1167]

Right now one man install only, but saving for an installation bay/shop for employees and production. I also have to recoup startup costs...

My vehicle is personally owned, unmarked and I pay extra for business use to and from job sites. Since the business doesn't own it, it's no figured into the labor rate.

 

[Gino]

Okay, I might've misunderstood, but is this to go on-site and do like vehicle graphic installations or put a sign up on a building somewhere ??

 

[Jester1167]

Yes, I install locally and regionally for National, Regional and local companies. Most are interior retail branding and the rest are vehicle wraps or graphics. My average travel is about 5 hours or 325 miles round trip.

 

[Gino]

Okay, so most of this is third party work. In that case, I'd go full hourly rate, plus whatever wear-n-tear is allowed by the industry while driving, plus mileage. Given it's a personal vehicle could present another set of barriers, but who is really going to know that, other than your inspection station when they say, dang.....!! You've put 74,000 miles on this thing, since last inspection.............. Insurance people might catch up with you and have you register it differently. Now, it can become a write-off which helps offset some costs.

 

[J Hill Designs]

standard labor rate, I might tack on mileage costs if farther than 200 miles or so...

 

[rjssigns]

Within 20 minutes is a flat rate. Over 20 minutes is shop rate per hour traveled.

 

[TXFB.INS]

if its a "simple" install/evaluation then just the hourly rate.

If the lift truck is needed or something special brought in then the mileage/fuel is added to the hourly rate

 

[Moze]

I charge a flat amount per mile if I'm just driving the truck and a larger flat amount per mile if I'm towing the lift or trailer. I calculate the mileage from my house to the job site and back to the house. I've been confronted with the "no one else gets paid to drive to work" line of reasoning, but when some jobs are an hour or two away, I have to charge something because otherwise I would be somewhere else locally making money rather than driving a two hour round-trip. So my mileage charge is set so it covers my time whether the job is a 20 mile round-trip or 300 mile round-trip. It's fair for me and the customer.

My install rate typically stays the same regardless of what I'm doing....installing letters, vinyl, digging holes for post and panel signs - whatever. Some days are more enjoyable than others, but it all pays the same.

 

[Rick]

For local:

I charge a lowest labor rate per hour + mileage

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For out of state:

A full 8 hours a day.
Rental/gas/parking
75.00 food allowance
Hotel
Mileage to and from airport.

 

[Jester1167]

Thank you to all that voted in the poll and responded.

Just for clarification for those that haven't voted; This question and poll isn't about local installs, it is about traveling hours from your shop for installs.

Thank you